On January 26, 2009, during the depth of the financial crisis and having just completed five years as President of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Timothy F. Geithner was sworn in by President Barack Obama as the 75th Secretary of the Treasury of the United States. Now, in a strikingly candid, riveting, and historically illuminating memoir, Geithner takes listeners behind the scenes during the darkest moments of the crisis.

4 out of 5 stars

Credible analysis of the 2008 crisis

By
Neuron
on
09-02-15

The Courage to Act

A Memoir of a Crisis and Its Aftermath

By:
Ben S. Bernanke

Narrated by:
Grover Gardner

Length: 22 hrs and 36 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
611

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
548

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
546

In 2006, Ben S. Bernanke was appointed chair of the Federal Reserve, capping a meteoric trajectory from a rural South Carolina childhood to professorships at Stanford and Princeton, to public service in Washington's halls of power. There would be no time to celebrate, however - the burst of the housing bubble in 2007 set off a domino effect that would bring the global financial system to the brink of meltdown.

4 out of 5 stars

Way, way deep into the weeds...

By
farmhouselady
on
10-14-15

Too Big to Fail

The Inside Story of How Wall Street and Washington Fought to Save the Financial System - and Themselves

By:
Andrew Ross Sorkin

Narrated by:
William Hughes

Length: 21 hrs and 4 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
2,181

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,419

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,418

A real-life thriller about the most tumultuous period in America's financial history by an acclaimed
New York Times reporter. Andrew Ross Sorkin delivers the first true, behind-the-scenes, moment-by-moment account of how the greatest financial crisis since the Great Depression developed into a global tsunami.

5 out of 5 stars

Surprisingly Revealing

By
Laura
on
01-11-10

Firefighting

The Financial Crisis and Its Lessons

By:
Ben S. Bernanke,
Timothy F. Geithner,
Henry M. Paulson

Narrated by:
Mark Deakins

Length: 4 hrs and 43 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
92

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
81

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
82

From the three primary architects of the American policy response to the worst economic catastrophe since the Great Depression, a magnificent big-picture synthesis - from why it happened to where we are now.

5 out of 5 stars

A Gift for the Next Generation

By
Micah D
on
04-26-19

Dealing with China

An Insider Unmasks the New Economic Superpower

By:
Henry M. Paulson

Narrated by:
Kevin Stillwell

Length: 18 hrs and 31 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
312

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
285

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
285

When Hu Jintao, China's then vice president, came to visit the New York Stock Exchange and Ground Zero in 2002, he asked Hank Paulson to be his guide. It was a testament to the pivotal role that Goldman Sachs played in helping China experiment with private enterprise. In
Dealing with China, the best-selling author of
On the Brink draws on his unprecedented access to both the political and business leaders of modern China to answer several key questions.

4 out of 5 stars

Listened to the book then bought the print copy

By
William Crutcher
on
07-06-15

All the Devils Are Here

The Hidden History of the Financial Crisis

By:
Bethany McLean,
Joe Nocera

Narrated by:
Dennis Boutsikaris

Length: 15 hrs and 29 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
852

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
557

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
552

As soon as the financial crisis erupted, the finger-pointing began. Should the blame fall on Wall Street, Main Street, or Pennsylvania Avenue? On greedy traders, misguided regulators, sleazy subprime companies, cowardly legislators, or clueless home buyers? According to Bethany McLean and Joe Nocera, two of America's most acclaimed business journalists, the real answer is all of the above-and more. Many devils helped bring hell to the economy.

5 out of 5 stars

Excellent!

By
ecl
on
11-19-10

Stress Test

Reflections on Financial Crises

By:
Timothy F. Geithner

Narrated by:
Timothy F. Geithner

Length: 18 hrs and 23 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,084

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
934

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
926

On January 26, 2009, during the depth of the financial crisis and having just completed five years as President of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Timothy F. Geithner was sworn in by President Barack Obama as the 75th Secretary of the Treasury of the United States. Now, in a strikingly candid, riveting, and historically illuminating memoir, Geithner takes listeners behind the scenes during the darkest moments of the crisis.

4 out of 5 stars

Credible analysis of the 2008 crisis

By
Neuron
on
09-02-15

The Courage to Act

A Memoir of a Crisis and Its Aftermath

By:
Ben S. Bernanke

Narrated by:
Grover Gardner

Length: 22 hrs and 36 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
611

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
548

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
546

In 2006, Ben S. Bernanke was appointed chair of the Federal Reserve, capping a meteoric trajectory from a rural South Carolina childhood to professorships at Stanford and Princeton, to public service in Washington's halls of power. There would be no time to celebrate, however - the burst of the housing bubble in 2007 set off a domino effect that would bring the global financial system to the brink of meltdown.

4 out of 5 stars

Way, way deep into the weeds...

By
farmhouselady
on
10-14-15

Too Big to Fail

The Inside Story of How Wall Street and Washington Fought to Save the Financial System - and Themselves

By:
Andrew Ross Sorkin

Narrated by:
William Hughes

Length: 21 hrs and 4 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
2,181

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,419

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,418

A real-life thriller about the most tumultuous period in America's financial history by an acclaimed
New York Times reporter. Andrew Ross Sorkin delivers the first true, behind-the-scenes, moment-by-moment account of how the greatest financial crisis since the Great Depression developed into a global tsunami.

5 out of 5 stars

Surprisingly Revealing

By
Laura
on
01-11-10

Firefighting

The Financial Crisis and Its Lessons

By:
Ben S. Bernanke,
Timothy F. Geithner,
Henry M. Paulson

Narrated by:
Mark Deakins

Length: 4 hrs and 43 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
92

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
81

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
82

From the three primary architects of the American policy response to the worst economic catastrophe since the Great Depression, a magnificent big-picture synthesis - from why it happened to where we are now.

5 out of 5 stars

A Gift for the Next Generation

By
Micah D
on
04-26-19

Dealing with China

An Insider Unmasks the New Economic Superpower

By:
Henry M. Paulson

Narrated by:
Kevin Stillwell

Length: 18 hrs and 31 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
312

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
285

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
285

When Hu Jintao, China's then vice president, came to visit the New York Stock Exchange and Ground Zero in 2002, he asked Hank Paulson to be his guide. It was a testament to the pivotal role that Goldman Sachs played in helping China experiment with private enterprise. In
Dealing with China, the best-selling author of
On the Brink draws on his unprecedented access to both the political and business leaders of modern China to answer several key questions.

4 out of 5 stars

Listened to the book then bought the print copy

By
William Crutcher
on
07-06-15

All the Devils Are Here

The Hidden History of the Financial Crisis

By:
Bethany McLean,
Joe Nocera

Narrated by:
Dennis Boutsikaris

Length: 15 hrs and 29 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
852

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
557

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
552

As soon as the financial crisis erupted, the finger-pointing began. Should the blame fall on Wall Street, Main Street, or Pennsylvania Avenue? On greedy traders, misguided regulators, sleazy subprime companies, cowardly legislators, or clueless home buyers? According to Bethany McLean and Joe Nocera, two of America's most acclaimed business journalists, the real answer is all of the above-and more. Many devils helped bring hell to the economy.

5 out of 5 stars

Excellent!

By
ecl
on
11-19-10

When Genius Failed

The Rise and Fall of Long-Term Capital Management

By:
Roger Lowenstein

Narrated by:
Roger Lowenstein

Length: 9 hrs and 12 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,671

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
1,118

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,112

When Genius Failed is the cautionary financial tale of our time, the gripping saga of what happened when an elite group of investors believed they could actually deconstruct risk and use virtually limitless leverage to create limitless wealth. In Roger Lowenstein's hands, it is a brilliant tale peppered with fast money, vivid characters, and high drama.

5 out of 5 stars

Informative and interesting, full of suspense

By
Pankaj
on
03-01-04

The Man Who Solved the Market

How Jim Simons Launched the Quant Revolution

By:
Gregory Zuckerman

Length: 13 hrs

Unabridged

Overall

0 out of 5 stars
0

Performance

0 out of 5 stars
0

Story

0 out of 5 stars
0

Jim Simons is the greatest money maker in modern financial history. His track record bests those of legendary investors including Warren Buffett, Peter Lynch, Ray Dalio, and George Soros. Yet Simons and his strategies are shrouded in mystery. Wall Street insiders have long craved a view into Simons's singular mind, as well as the definitive account of how his secretive hedge fund, Renaissance Technologies, came to dominate financial markets. Best-selling author and Wall Street Journal reporter Gregory Zuckerman delivers the goods.

The Big Short

Inside the Doomsday Machine

By:
Michael Lewis

Narrated by:
Jesse Boggs

Length: 9 hrs and 27 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
11,560

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
8,213

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
8,234

Who understood the risk inherent in the assumption of ever-rising real-estate prices, a risk compounded daily by the creation of those arcane, artificial securities loosely based on piles of doubtful mortgages? Michael Lewis turns the inquiry on its head to create a fresh, character-driven narrative brimming with indignation and dark humor, a fitting sequel to his number-one best-selling
Liar’s Poker.

5 out of 5 stars

Informative and Engaging

By
Jay
on
03-23-10

Crash of the Titans

Greed, Hubris, the Fall of Merrill Lynch and the Near-Collapse of Bank of America

By:
Greg Farrell

Narrated by:
Dan Woren

Length: 16 hrs and 24 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
317

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
241

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
241

With one notable exception, the firms that make up what we know as Wall Street have always been part of an inbred, insular culture that most people only vaguely understand. The exception was Merrill Lynch, a firm that revolutionized the stock market by bringing Wall Street to Main Street. Merrill Lynch was an icon. Its sudden decline, collapse, and sale to Bank of America was a shock. How did it happen? Why did it happen?

4 out of 5 stars

A Dizzying Story About the Fall of an Icon

By
Charles
on
04-04-13

The Greatest Trade Ever

The Behind-the-Scenes Story of How John Paulson Defied Wall Street and Made Financial History

By:
Gregory Zuckerman

Narrated by:
Marc Cashman

Length: 11 hrs and 40 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
597

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
344

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
346

In 2006, hedge fund manager John Paulson realized something few others suspected--that the housing market and the value of subprime mortgages were grossly inflated and headed for a major fall. Paulson's background was in mergers and acquisitions, however, and he knew little about real estate or how to wager against housing. He had spent a career as an also-ran on Wall Street. But Paulson was convinced this was his chance to make his mark. He just wasn't sure how to do it....

3 out of 5 stars

Better Books Now Available

By
David
on
05-02-11

The Smartest Guys in the Room

The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron

By:
Bethany McLean

Narrated by:
Dennis Boutsikaris

Length: 22 hrs and 30 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,564

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,343

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,341

The definitive volume on Enron's amazing rise and scandalous fall, from an award-winning team of Fortune investigative reporters.

5 out of 5 stars

Past is prologue

By
Amazon Customer
on
12-11-10

A History of the United States in Five Crashes

Stock Market Meltdowns That Defined a Nation

By:
Scott Nations

Narrated by:
Christopher Grove

Length: 12 hrs and 32 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
528

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
457

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
455

In this absorbing, smart, and accessible blend of economic and cultural history in the vein of the works of Michael Lewis and Andrew Ross Sorkin, a financial executive and CNBC contributor examines the five most significant stock market crashes in the United States over the past century, revealing how they have defined the nation today.

4 out of 5 stars

A solid telling of crucial history

By
Philo
on
06-17-17

Barbarians at the Gate

The Fall of RJR Nabisco

By:
Bryan Burrough

Narrated by:
John Helyar

Length: 3 hrs and 2 mins

Abridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
1,007

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
804

Story

4 out of 5 stars
797

Barbarians at the Gate has been called one of the most influential business books of all time, the definitive account of the largest takeover in Wall Street history. Bryan Burrough's and John Helyer's account of the frenzy that overtook Wall Street in October and November of 1988 gives us not only a detailed look at financial operations at the highest levels but a richly textured social history of wealth in the twilight of the Reagan era.

3 out of 5 stars

Great book, not so great audiobook

By
Cheimon
on
11-17-07

Keeping at It

The Quest for Sound Money and Good Government

By:
Paul Volcker,
Christine Harper

Narrated by:
John Bedford Lloyd

Length: 10 hrs and 6 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
116

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
94

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
96

As chairman of the Federal Reserve (1979-1987), Paul Volcker slayed the inflation dragon that was consuming the American economy and restored the world's faith in central bankers. That extraordinary feat was just one pivotal episode in a decades-long career serving six presidents. Told with wit, humor, and down-to-earth erudition, the narrative of Volcker's career illuminates the changes that have taken place in American life, government, and the economy since World War II.

4 out of 5 stars

Engaging

By
Jean
on
12-24-18

After the Music Stopped

The Financial Crisis, the Response, and the Work Ahead

By:
Alan S. Blinder

Narrated by:
Graham Vick

Length: 15 hrs and 50 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
131

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
118

Story

4 out of 5 stars
117

Alan S. Blinder - esteemed Princeton professor,
Wall Street Journal columnist, and former vice chairman of the Federal Reserve Board under Alan Greenspan - is one of our wisest and most clear-eyed economic thinkers. In
After the Music Stopped, he delivers a masterful narrative of how the worst economic crisis in postwar American history happened, what the government did to fight it, and what we must do to recover from it.

4 out of 5 stars

One of the best books on the Financial Crisis

By
Elaine
on
07-26-14

America's Bank

The Epic Struggle to Create the Federal Reserve

By:
Roger Lowenstein

Narrated by:
Robertson Dean

Length: 9 hrs and 39 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
300

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
271

Story

4 out of 5 stars
268

Until the election of Woodrow Wilson the United States - alone among developed nations - lacked a central bank. Ever since the Revolutionary War, Americans had desperately feared the consequences of centralizing the nation's finances under government control. However, in the aftermath of a disastrous financial panic, Congress was persuaded - by a confluence of populist unrest, widespread mistrust of bankers, ideological divisions, and secretive lobbying - to approve the landmark 1913 Federal Reserve Act.

4 out of 5 stars

Important and Intriguing

By
Jean
on
11-02-15

Billion Dollar Whale

By:
Bradley Hope,
Tom Wright

Narrated by:
Will Collyer

Length: 12 hrs and 26 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
4,259

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
3,798

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
3,789

In 2009, with the dust yet to settle on the financial crisis, a baby-faced, seemingly mild-mannered Wharton grad began setting in motion a fraud of unprecedented gall and magnitude - one that would come to symbolize the next great threat to the global financial system. His name is Jho Low, a man whose behavior was so preposterous he might seem made up. An epic true tale of hubris and greed, Billion Dollar Whale reveals how this young social climber pulled off one of the biggest heists in history.

3 out of 5 stars

Long and detailed but still worth it

By
Anonymous User
on
05-15-19

Publisher's Summary

When Hank Paulson, the former CEO of Goldman Sachs, was appointed in 2006 to become the nation's next Secretary of the Treasury, he knew that his move from Wall Street to Washington would be daunting and challenging.

But Paulson had no idea that a year later, he would find himself at the very epicenter of the world's most cataclysmic financial crisis since the Great Depression. Major institutions including Bear Stearns, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Lehman Brothers, AIG, Merrill Lynch, and Citigroup, among others - all steeped in rich, longstanding tradition - literally teetered at the edge of collapse. Panic ensnared international markets. Worst of all, the credit crisis spread to all parts of the U.S. economy and grew more ominous with each passing day, destroying jobs across America and undermining the financial security millions of families had spent their lifetimes building.

This was truly a once-in-a-lifetime economic nightmare. Events no one had thought possible were happening in quick succession, and people all over the globe were terrified that the continuing downward spiral would bring unprecedented chaos. All eyes turned to the United States Treasury Secretary to avert the disaster.

This, then, is Hank Paulson's first-person account. From the man who was in the very middle of this perfect economic storm, On the Brink is Paulson's fast-paced retelling of the key decisions that had to be made with lightning speed.

More than an account about numbers and credit risks gone bad, On the Brink is an extraordinary story about people and politics - all brought together during the world's impending financial Armageddon.

Story

More Depth than "Too Big to Fail"

I read this book not long after "Too Big to Fail." It has the benefit of being a first-hand account by the senior government official in the midst of the 2008 financial crisis: we learn much more in this book of the background thinking and concerns of top Treasury and Fed officials who were trying to cope with the onset of financial panic and meltdown. Put another way, the book offers much clearer context and explanation of the policy thinking than did the Sorkin book. The book keys on personal conversations and meetings, which keeps it interesting. There are revealing sketches of Mr. Paulson's interactions with Congressional leaders and the President, which show how completely unprepared they all were for the scope and severity of the financial crash. The weakest part of the book is the Afterword in which Mr. Paulson lays out the policy reforms that are needed in order to avoid a like financial disaster in the future. Although a vitally important and urgent reform (and one Congress and the Administration to their shame have still not addressed 18 months after the 2008 meltdown), this part of the book reads like a bland press release from the Treasury Department.

This book is well worth reading for a better understanding of the 2008 financial collapse. It is focused on the response to the financial meltdown at the highest levels of government and industry. It does not, however, provide particular insights into the irresponsible business practices that led to the crisis in the first place.

A good complement to Too Big to Fail

I listened to this as a follow up to Too Big to Fail and did not have much expectation. I was pleasantly surprised. This book provided an in depth view from inside the government. I came away feeling that Hank, Ben and Tim all were trying their best in a situation that kept blind siding them with new problems. It was like the proverbial snowball going downhill. I came away glad that they were in their roles and that they were willing to take chances with big solutions. It will be interesting to see how history judges their actions. We will need to remember that others took over and subsequent decisions may have created different outcomes than originally planned at the time of the original decisions.

" There are no idealogues in a financial crisis"

I may be a little dense, but after reading several books on the subject of the 2008 financial crisis, I still didn't have much of a firm grasp of the series of cascading events that led to "the brink". Until this book that is.

Mr. Paulson was somehow able to gauge unerringly the point at which the lay reader (especially a dense one) was going to need an explanation of an arcane financial term or would need to know the significance of a given event. Additionally, we are very fortunate to hear the story from someone who was privy to all almost all the discussions and disagreements as well as someone who knows all the players personally. The result is a complete review of the entire catastrophe from the first hints of trouble at a French bank to TARP.

He avoids hyperbole, tries hard not to speak ill of anyone (although it is possible to pick up the occasional bit of rancour) but still manages to convey the the atmosphere of those dreadful months.

This is a book he should be very proud of and, after the pressure cooker he endured, I hope it gave him some relief to tell the story. It certainly gave me many hours of great reading.

PS: I'm also glad that he had some very nice things to say about your much-maligned former president: George W. Bush.

Firsthand insight on the 2007-08 financial debace

For those wanting to round out their understanding of the finacial abyss we faced in 2007-08, this book is an excellent addition to The Big Short and Too Big Too Fail. The other two drew me into the events in more riviting narratives. I recomend reading them first. But Paulson was in the middle of things; this book completes the story. I was not a big fan of Paulson before this book. I now understand and appreciate why he, Bernanke, and Geithner did what they had to do. His suggestions for fixing the system are too mportant to miss. Unfortunately, special interests and their lobbyists will never let those corrections go forward.

Great book for a layman to understand

Loved this book, was well written and really suspsenseful as you lived through the ongoing crises with them. Financial terms explained so a layman could understand and this book is unbaised and does not go about bashing people to lay blame but simply states the facts of what happened. Overall the book is very readable and considering the subject matter, finance, is really engaging as they lurch from one crisis to the next one. Highly recommend!

A Bland Retelling

Compared to "Too Big to Fail", I found "On the Brink" a superficial recounting of the financial markets meltdown of 2008. It has none of the color and context of TBTF, none of the behind the scenes flavor. Paulson criticizes no one and walks on eggshells when discussing the actions of others. Even if you sensed some disagreement, his words carefully pulled punches: "Sheila understandably defended her agency." Read TBTF to know what the players *really* thought of other players.

I am glad I read this, though. It confirmed what I felt from reading the press accounts and TBTF: The Lehman bankruptcy was not the root cause of the financial meltdown, but avoiding it would certainly have mitigated the impact on the world markets. And it *could* have been avoided. Paulson to this day says it couldn't have been avoided, but it's clear even in this book that Geitner and Paulson expected early in the crisis that the government would have to rescue/bail out (depending on your political persuasion) Lehman. At the end, though, Paulson had so publicly said the government would *not*, that he painted himself into a corner, and he *could* not. At the time I felt we were lucky to have Paulson at Treasury. I think history will confirm that is not true. He worked hard, tried hard, but in the end, because (I believe) Dick Fuld was running Lehman, Hank Paulson let it go under. That wreaked havoc around the world. Too bad.

The book did have interesting insights into Paulson's interactions with both Obama and McCain, as well as the House and Senate leaders. Again, no insight into how he really felt about most of them, but interesting, matter-of-fact retelling of those interactions.

And I found the Afterword to be the best part of the book. Paulson thoughfully outlines the key issues facing the smooth operation of global financial markets.

In short, listen to this. But to get the "real" story of what was going on behind the scenes, listen to "Too Big to Fail."

Not very interesting....In fact boring.

I found books like Too Big to Fail, Quants, The Big Short, The Greatest Trade Ever, and No One Would Listen to be much more interesting and insightful in their telling of this tragic episode in our history.
On the Brink is a very drab retelling of facts. Mr. Paulson refuses to point any fingers to Congress or the Administration which let us get into this mess. Everyone seemed to him to be really great guys who really worked hard. The only people he didn't seem to care for in his book were Jim Bunning and Sarah Palin and they had nothing to do with this mess. Do not waist your time.... read Too Big to Fail.

Lmao the voices

Good book, a lot of quotes by characters read using impersonations. You've heard it all when you heard sentences in a chinese accent, a British accent and a Massachusetts accent all in the same chapter.

Story wise I would say this book makes the most sense after bernanke's. And should be followed by geithners book as the sequel when he was secretary of the treasury.